Moments Later: Bite Sized Samples

While shopping at my local Whole Foods last week, I observed how successfully sampling was working for the food industry. You give a customer a small taste of a specialty cheese and suddenly they pick up the product and put it in their shopping cart. Can you sample something in your business?

What is the equivalent of the small cube of cheese on a cracker for your business?

Is there a service or product offering that you can give to your customers in a bit sized form? A free consultation or audit is a favorite approach by many service businesses where they let you have a glimpse of what working together would be like. With physical products, getting a few samples into the hands of a potential customer can open the door to a conversation.

The power of a free sample is that it takes down a barrier to engagement with customers. It gives the service provider a chance to build a relationship with a prospective customer and it allows a connection to begin. Sometimes it is in that first step that you open several doors of opportunity.

Here are five examples of offering a free sample:

Accountants:
Imagine if you offer to review a prospective clients taxes for the prior year for free. From your review, you will provide them with a brief summary that illustrates how you can save them money next year. Giveaway some of your time as way to meet clients.

Dentists:
Imagine offering a free cleaning to a current client who knows someone who doesn’t have dental care. Have you bonded with your client in a way that prevents them from going to another dentist, differentiate your practice and done a nice deed with little cost to you?

Electricians:
Imagine you offer a 10 point safety check free to clients who live in a very expensive neighborhood. Since they have lots of potential work, you get a chance to truly get a foot in the door and evaluate their electrical needs. Perhaps you limit the offer to the first 10 people who sign up. But what a great way to spend a Saturday going in and out of potential customers home, reviewing their electrical issues and most likely securing some new business.

Restaurants:
Why not offer free appetizers on Tuesday nights to teachers or fireman or emergency workers. Do it as a way to get a connected community to feel appreciated and to engage them with your restaurant. Maybe the appetizers are specially named or designed for that audience- fireman’s bruschetta anyone? For a modest price you will get people talking about your business through word of mouth.

Shoe Retailers:
How about have an hour of each day that offers a free pair of shoes to a homeless person for any two pair of shoes you purchase. It is limited in cost but the goodwill it could generate can be wonderful for customers to post to their Facebook friends. Perhaps you have some out dated shoes that are perfectly functional- why not give someone a leg up and tie-up an emotional connection with customers?

Service Snacking
So when you walk past the fig jam samples on toasted pita bread at your local food shop, see beyond the treat and look at how you can borrow this idea to marketing your offerings.

Sample, anyone?